Valve means

ABSTRACT

An air bleed valve for a pump including a housing having an intake opening in communication with the pump and a discharge opening. A conduit extends between the intake and discharge openings and has a normally open valve means provided therein which is adapted to close the conduit upon a predetermined pressure differential existing in the discharge and intake openings.

United States Patent Inventor Leonard L. Urback Waterloo, Iowa Appl. No.871,578 Filed Nov. 6, 1969 Patented June 22, 1971 Assignee ConstructionMachinery Company Waterloo, Iowa Continuation of application Ser. No.604,771, July 2, 1966, now abandoned.

VALVE MEANS 1 Claim, 7 Drawing Figs.

[15. Cl 137/517, 137/525.1, 415/11 1nt.Cl F16k 15/00 Field ofSeareh137/515- Primary Examiner-WilliamF. ODea Assistant Examiner-David J.Zobkiw AttameyDick, Zarley, McKee & Thomte ABSTRACT: An air bleed valvefor a pump including a housing having an intake opening in communicationwith the pump and a discharge opening. A conduit extends between theintake and discharge openings and has a normally open valve meansprovided therein which is adapted to close the conduit upon apredetermined pressure differential existing in the discharge and intakeopenings.

VALVE MEANS This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 604,771,filed Dec. 27, I966, and now abandoned.

Self-priming centrifugal pumps require vent lines in pump installationswhich do not have an open discharge which means that the pump must beginpumping against pressure. A centrifugal pump will develop very littlepressure when air is present in the pump case, hence the need for a ventline to eliminate the entrapped air to permit the pump to operate. Theair becomes entrapped within the pump case during the priming cycle andmay also enter the system through leaks or the like. Until thisinvention, it has been necessary to have the vent line open at all timesto eliminate the entrapped air from the pump case to permit pumpoperation. Thus, a portion of the liquid being pumped was continuouslyrecycled which reduces the efficiency of the installation due to thepower required to recycle the liquid. Additionally, the continuous flowalso increases the probability of the vent line becoming clogged whensolids are entrained in the liquid, as in sewage.

Therefore, it is a principal object of this invention to provide an airbleed valve means for use with a pump or the like. A further object ofthis invention is to provide an air bleed valve means for use with apump which will not become clogged.

A further object of this invention is to provide a valve means which isnormally open but which becomes closed when subjected to a predeterminedpressure differential on opposite sides thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide an air bleed valvemeans having an air bleed valve therein which may be constructed of apredetermined hardness or length to control the opening thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide an air bleed valvemeans having a reinforced base portion and a flexible throat portionextending therefrom.

A further object of this invention is to provide an air bleed valvemeans which is self-cleaning.

A further object of this invention is to provide an air bleed valvemeans for use with a pump, the bleed valve being open when the pump isnot operating.

A further object of this invention is to provide an air bleed valvemeans which will close when the priming cycle of the pump is complete.

A further object of this invention is to provide an air bleed valvemeans which is economical of manufacture, durable in use and refined inappearance.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

This invention consists in the construction, arrangements, andcombination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objectscontemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth,specifically pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. I is a schematic view of a pump installation utilizing the airbleed valve means; I

FIG 2 is a sectional view of the air bleed valve assembly;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the air bleed valve assembly;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the air bleed valve;

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the air bleed valve;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the air bleed valve seen on line 6-6 ofFIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the air bleed valve as would be seen online 7-7 of FIG. 5.

A typical sump installation is shown in FIG. I and it is into aninstallation of this type that the air bleed valve assembly l0 of thisinvention is installed. In FIG. I, the numeral l2 generally designates awet well into which a suction line l4 extends. Suction line l4 extendsupwardly from the well l2 and is connected to a pump l6 of conventionalconstruction having a discharge line l8 extending upwardly therefrom. Anelbow is secured to the upper end of line l8 which is connected to aconventional discharge check valve means 22 and a conventional gatevalve 24.

An air bleed line 26 extends from elbow 20 and is in communication withthe interior of elbow 20 and pump l6. Line 26 includes a horizontalportion 28 and a vertical portion 30. The air bleed valve assembly I0 isimposed in line 26 at the juncture of portions 28 and 30. As seen inFIG. I, vertical portion 30 extends downwardly into well 12 and that avent line 32 extends upwardly from well l2. FIG. I merely illustratesstructure which is associated with this invention and for that reasondoes not show such structure as control box, liquid level control, fans,etc.

The air bleed valve assembly I0 is shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3 andincludes a housing means 34 and a valve 36 mounted therein. Housingmeans 34 includes a rear cap member 38, an intermediate housing element40 and a front housing element 42. As seen in FIG. 2, housing element 40has an interior compartment 44 and an internally threaded pipe fitting46 at its lower end. A sea] 48 is positioned between the forward surfaceof cap member 38 and the rearward surface of intermediate housingelement 40. Housing element 42 includes an interior compartment 50 andhas an internally threaded pipe fitting 52 at its forward end.

Valve 36 is flexible and is preferably constructed of a neoprenematerial and includes a base portion 54 having rearward and forwardsurfaces 56 and 58 respectively and also includes a throat portion 60extending forwardly therefrom. As seen in FIGS. 4-7, valve 56 isprovided with an opening 62 extending therethrough which has a majorhorizontal axis and a minor vertical axis. When viewed from the rearwardend of the valve, the configuration of opening 62 is seen to beconvexo-convex. The rearward surface of base portion 54 is notched so asto receive a metal backing plate 64 which is rectangular in shape andwhich has a central opening 66 formed therein. Base portion 54 isprovided with a pair of openings 68 and 70 extending therethrough whichare adapted to register with openings formed in cap member 38 andhousing elements 40 and 42 when the assembly is assembled as in FIG. 2.It is seen in FIG. 2 that the peripheral edges of base portion 54 aswell as a portion of backing plate 64 are mounted between the forwardsurface of housing element 40 and the rearward surface of housingelement 42. A pair of suitable capscrews would be extended through theregistering openings just described to maintain the components in theassembled condition of FIG. 2. As seen in FIG. 2, throat portion 60 ofvalve 36 is positioned within compartment 50 and is normally open sothat compartments 50 and 44 are in communication with each other throughvalve 36. As previously stated, valve 36 is flexible which pen'nitsthroat portion 60 to close opening 62 when a predetermined pressuredifferential is built up between compartments 50 and 44. The closing ofvalve 36 can be controlled by varying the hardness of the materialthereof or by varying the length of throat portion 60. For example, asthe throat length is reduced or the hardness increased, the pressuredifierential required for closure is increased. Backing plate 64 isincorporated into the valve to prevent inversion of the flexible throatportion 60.

In operation, pipe fitting 52 would be threadably secured to thehorizontal portion 28 of vent line 26 and pipe fitting 46 would bethreadably secured to the vertical portion 30 of the vent line 26. Valve36 is normally open when the pump I6 is not in operation and theflexible throat portion 60 would assume the position seen in thedrawings. Inasmuch as the valve is normally open, any air that ispresent in the pump or which becomes present in the pump during thepriming cycle may escape therefrom through horizontal portion 28 of ventline 26, through opening 62 in valve 36 and through vertical portion 30of vent line 26. It can be seen that vertical portion 30 is open to theatmosphere. When the pump is started and begins to prime, the airpresent therein is expelled through the air bleed valve 36 and due tothe presence of air, the pump will not develop sufficient pressure toclose the valve 36. When the priming of the pump is complete, the pumpdischarge pressure will increase abruptly thereby causing the throatportion 60 of bleed valve 36 to close and the discharge check valve 22will open. When the pumping cycle is completed, the pump l6 stops andthe discharge check valve 22 closes, and, due to the decrease in thepressure differential on opposite sides of the valve 36, the bleed valve36 opens. The amount of pressure differential required to open valve 36is dependent upon the construction of the throat portion, for example,an increase in the hardness of the throat portion material or a decreasein the length of the throat portion will require a greater pressuredifferential to close the valve 36. The backing plate 64 adds rigidityto the valve and prevents inversion of the throat portion 60.

The valve 36 is self-cleaning due to the fact that at each time the pumpstarts, whether air is present or not, a spurt of liquid is releasedtherefrom which removes any solids entrapped in the valve in theprevious cycle.

Thus it can be seen that a unique air bleed valve means has beenprovided for use with a pump or the like which eliminates the need for aconstant recycling of liquid through the vent line. The eliminationliquid through the vent line increases the The efficiency of theinstallation due to the fact that power is not required for constantrecycling. The efficiency of the installation is also increased due tothe fact that the probability of clogging of the vent line ispractically eliminated through the use of the valve means describedherein.

Thus it can be seen that the device accomplishes at least all of itsstated objectives.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my VALVEMEANS without departing from the real spirit and purpose of myinvention, and it is my intention to cover by my clains, and modifiedforms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may bereasonably included within their cope.

I claim:

I. An air bleed valve for a pump,

a housing means comprising first and second housing elements attachablysecured together, said first housing element having first and second endportions and a first compartment area formed therebetween, said firstend portion of said first housing element defining an intake openingadapted to be connected to a pump, said second housing element having adischarge opening formed therein in communication with the atmosphere,

a valve means in said housing comprised of resilient material, saidvalve means comprising a base portion having a peripheral edge portionpositioned between said second end of said first housing element and oneof the ends of said second housing element, and a hollow throat portionin said first compartment area extending towards said intake opening,said throat portion being elliptically shaped in cross section along itssubstantial length and terminating adjacent said intake opening in anelliptically shaped normally open intake opening having arcuate upperand lower lip portions,

said valve means providing the sole means of communication between theintake and discharge openings of said first and second housing elementswhereby said throat portion will be deformed to cause said lip portionsto close on each other to close the intake opening of said valve meanswhenever the pressure in said first compartment area attains apredetermined value greater than the pressure in said second compartmentarea, and

a backing plate mounted adjacent said base portion of said valve meansto prevent said throat portion from assuming an inverted position withrespect to its normal position of extending towards the intake openingin said first housing element said backing plate having a peripheraledge portion positioned between said second end of said first housingelement and said one end of said second housing element, and

means securing said first and second housing elements together so thatsaid peripheral edge portion of said valve means and said peripheraledge portion of said backing plate are rigidly secured between saidsecond end of said first housing element and said one end of said secondhousing element.

1. An air bleed valve for a pump, a housing means comprising first andsecond housing elements attachably secured together, said first housingelement having first and second end portions and a first compartmentarea formed therebetween, said first end portion of said first housingelement defining an intake opening adapted to be connected to a pump,said second housing element having a discharge opening formed therein incommunication with the atmosphere, a valve means in said housingcomprised of resilient material, said valve means comprising a baseportion having a peripheral edge portion positioned between said secondend of said first housing element and one of the ends of said secondhousing element, and a hollow throat portion in said first compartmentarea extending towards said intake opening, saId throat portion beingelliptically shaped in cross section along its substantial length andterminating adjacent said intake opening in an elliptically shapednormally open intake opening having arcuate upper and lower lipportions, said valve means providing the sole means of communicationbetween the intake and discharge openings of said first and secondhousing elements whereby said throat portion will be deformed to causesaid lip portions to close on each other to close the intake opening ofsaid valve means whenever the pressure in said first compartment areaattains a predetermined value greater than the pressure in said secondcompartment area, and a backing plate mounted adjacent said base portionof said valve means to prevent said throat portion from assuming aninverted position with respect to its normal position of extendingtowards the intake opening in said first housing element said backingplate having a peripheral edge portion positioned between said secondend of said first housing element and said one end of said secondhousing element, and means securing said first and second housingelements together so that said peripheral edge portion of said valvemeans and said peripheral edge portion of said backing plate are rigidlysecured between said second end of said first housing element and saidone end of said second housing element.